December 6, 2007

  • You Know How This Entry Goes
    Yes! The show was decent tonight. We all did kick it up a notch. Kudos to everyone for studying and working hard to get it right. Now for the really difficult part; we need to be better.
    The difference between community theater and regional or pro theater is; the acting. Duh. Amateurs have a tendency to worry so much about hitting the mark and getting the lines that we forget about emoting. We don't listen to the lines and act we tend to just speak the lines as we learned them; blocked according to the director and with a minimum of energy. So cast, if you're reading, let's not be typical. Really think about getting some enthusiasm into delivery; some energy into your body. Don't get me wrong, everybody did a good job, but let's kick it up further and create memorable theater. Admittedly this is difficult with a Christmas Carol. Especially this version. It's written to be two dimensional. It is a challenge to imbue the material with the pathos and joy that Dickens intended; but it's not impossible. Think about what you're singing and saying and feel it. Make the audience believe that you are at a party at Fezziwigs and having the time of your life; that you are on the street thrilled that it is Christmas. In every scene, within the confines of the blocking and the lines, get into the character.
    Please don't think that I'm saying there are not great performances or that no one is on target. Even worse, don't think I believe that I have it yet. I need to do the same things I'm encouraging in the whole cast. This is a really talented bunch. I want to slay the audience. I want them to laugh and cry and come away from the experience thinking that this was the best theatrical experience they've had in years. Let's do it!
    I'm proud to be doing this show and I'm looking forward to the entire run. 'Nuff said.

Comments (2)

  • I agree John, but with all due respect, I think the main thing throwing us off right now is the set changes.   People aren't having enough time to get into character, and think about what they're about to do.

    Steve

  • We were in the presence of God tonight.  A miracle occurred.   Frankly, I didn't think we had a prayer of making it through musically.

    I once had a musical director ... LeeAnn Smith, rest her soul, of St. Louis.      She could bring you in with the bob of a curly pony tail.  She played the keyboard with one hand and the other in the air like magic, pulling the chorus along, causing them to perform as one cohesive unit.

    She never, ever left an actor hanging. 

    If an actor came in early, she adjusted, and she'd bring a 15 piece orchestra right along with her following so closely that very few would even notice anything was wrong.     There might be a fleeting moment of panic in the pit, but all eyes would be on her knowing that she would lead everyone home.

    If the actor didn't come in ... she noticed ... and reacted.   And again, she would hold the pit in her upstretched hand ... holding, waiting, vamping, watching for clues on the actor's face and giving cues with only her face, all the while giving the impression of total control.  She put her heart and soul into it.  I saw her one time from the pit mouthing the words to a panicked soloist who had gone up in the middle of a song, tossing out the life preserver to a grateful actor whose confidence was restored.

    27 years old and died way too young.

    Ah, they don't make 'em like that anymore.

    Anyway.    I came in early in one spot tonight.  Seems like there's always this awkward thing with the music in that spot ... it feels like I'm standing there waiting too long for the music to be right.   The line is finished, but the score says it's 4 more beats.  Doesn't feel right.  On the CD, they fixed that awkwardness.  I didn't know that I was wrong until I heard the music pounding louder in my ears, it seemed like it was telling me, "HaHa Susan, you're early again, can you hear it now?"

    I miss LeeAnn.

    I think that's a big part of our problem on that stage.  There's some awkward stuff with the score ... things that are hard to feel, hard to hear, just plain hard. 

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